Decision to Remove “Audit Conclusion: Requires Improvement” from final version of IA 17780’s Title Page

Caroline Pidgeon: The evidence you provided in Question 2020/0023 shows the Crossrail Head of Audit and TfL’s Internal Audit team’s intention to water down IA 17780’s findings in order it would appear to “placate” Tram Operations Limited. Do you believe that this is acceptable behaviour from TfL executives and auditors entrusted to scrutinise the Fatigue Management System of a contractor that had been recently involved in a catastrophic accident caused by the driver that was highly likely to have fallen asleep at the controls?

The Mayor: I refer to my answers to Mayor’s Questions 2020/0023, 2019/12001 and 2019/19759. IA 17 780 was not watered down. The report was issued with the correct classification and no evidence or recommendations were deleted from the report.

Work of the Violence Suppression Units (VSUs) (4)

Siân Berry: Thank you for your answer to my question 2020/1641. Will any of the 1,000 people identified be contacted by agencies other than the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and, if so, what are these agencies, what will they be offering, and when will this happen?

The Mayor: During the programme, 82 individuals expressed an interest in diversionary support. This support is offered through a variety of networks within the local authority area where the individual resides. The type of programmes focussed on employment, training and education in areas such as music, sport and personal training. This includes programmes delivered by the Princess Trust, Local Gangs Diversion programmes, counselling services and provision delivered by the Young Women’s hub. Only individuals who expressed an interest in support and consented to having their details to be passed on to those agencies, have been contacted by relevant agencies over the summer to discuss the most appropriate support for them and to make arrangements for them to join the relevant diversionary programme.

EWS1 Process (1)

Andrew Dismore: EWS1 forms were designed to be assess the safety of external wall systems on high-rise buildings over 18m. Is the current use of EWS1 forms for buildings of all sizes good practice?

The Mayor: The Government must ensure there is better guidance on this. I have written to the Government, calling for greater clarity on which buildings require an EWS1 form and which do not. Clear guidance is imperative, not only to restore confidence in the housing market, but also to ensure that building owners fulfil their legal and moral obligation to ensure their buildings are safe.
The Government must also urgently resolve issues relating to the difficulties engineers and surveyors face in finding professional indemnity cover for cladding related work. My Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development has raised this matter with the Association of British Insurers and the Building Safety Minister, Lord Greenhalgh.

Revenge Porn

Susan Hall: For each of the years November 2017 to October 2018, November 2018 to October 2019 and November 2019 to October 2020, please state how many cases of revenge porn were recorded by the Met broken down by outcome, e.g. charge, caution, NFA?

The Mayor: Please see attached the requested data for the period specified. Please ensure that the notes section is fully read and understood, to enable an accurate interpretation of the data.

IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit (3)

Keith Prince: Did you know about the abandonment of this audit when you made your statement to the London Assembly on 18 July rejecting the need for an independent investigation into handling of Audit IA 17780?

The Mayor: No, but this does not alter my view.
I am still unclear what the point would be of a further investigation, particularly as the RAIB carried out a thorough investigation into Sandilands, including forming an independent view on the issue. Transport for London (TfL) were carrying out an audit in 2016 of ‘Trams Management of Operational Risk’. Evidence gathering was nearing completion with report drafting underway. In light of the tragic event of 9 November 2016 it was decided that it would not be appropriate to continue with finalising the report at that time. The audit was never completed as the work was superseded by the vital investigations into the Sandilands tragedy. In order for the report to be meaningful further work would have to have been carried out in relation to the incident itself. On that basis it was not sensible for TfL auditors to try to do this at a time when that work might hamper the internal and external investigations into the Sandilands tragedy or pre-judge the investigations findings. The RAIB were informed of the uncompleted audit.

Internal Audits of Outside Contractors’ Safety Management Systems

Caroline Pidgeon: Further to Question 2020/3276 can you provide (a) an updated chart that includes the relevant information for IA 13744 and IA 17780 and (b) an explanation why these Internal Audits of First Group TOL’s Safety Management Systems were not included in your original response.

The Mayor: Attached is a list with the information for IA 13 744 and IA 17 780 added. The full audit reports for both of these had been published and so not only were the reference numbers, title, report date and ratings known, the content and background to both reports were already public. The list provided in response to Mayor’s Question 2020/3276 set out the other reports in the category sought.

I, S, E and R calls

Susan Hall: For each month from November 2019 to October 2020, please provide the response times by BCU for I, S, E and R calls.

The Mayor: Please see attached the requested information for the period specified. This includes a ‘notes’ page to enable accurate interpretation of the data.

IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit (5)

Keith Prince: On what date did TfL inform the RAIB of the uncompleted audit (IA 16767)?

The Mayor: The RAIB were informed of the uncompleted audit in November 2016 shortly after the Sandilands tragedy and were sent a copy of the terms of reference on 24 November 2016 and again on 1 February 2017.

Covid policing resource implications (1)

Unmesh Desai: What impact does COVID-19 continue to have on wider policing and the availability of police officers in London?

The Mayor: It is too early to see the impact of the second lockdown on recorded crime.
After the implementation of the first lockdown, the level of recorded crime reduced significantly. Though there was a large increase in calls to the police related to ‘nuisance’ anti-social behaviour - many of these were reports of people not observing government guidelines on lockdown and social distancing.
However, since the initial lockdown period, recorded crime has once again increased and whilst it has not yet returned to the levels of the previous year it is clearly placing greater demand on officers, especially in the context of the increased terrorism threat and the need to maintain a focus on reducing violence.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has been closely monitoring the absence levels of officers and staff, both through sickness and self-isolation. Thankfully these have remained relatively low and not impacted the MPS’s ability to respond to the current demand.

FGM (1)

Susan Hall: Please provide details of the number of FGM prosecutions versus convictions versus police recorded crime in London.

The Mayor: To date (to 29 September 2020) there have been three prosecutions for FGM offences in London, with one conviction.
Please see below for the total number of FGM flagged crime reports for the last four calendar years:
2017 144
2018  95
2019  86
2020 (to 29 Sept 2020)39
It’s important to understand that FGM flagged crime reports indicate the following:

IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit (2)

Keith Prince: Which executives knew of the abandonment of this audit?

The Mayor: I refer to my answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/4094. A number of executives would have been told of the decision at the time. There is no record held of which individuals were told.

IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit (1)

Keith Prince: A 26 October City AM report quotes a TfL spokesperson stating: “We were carrying out an audit of ‘Trams Management of Operational Risk’ but this work was not concluded because it was superseded by the urgent investigation into the Sandilands tragedy. The RAIB was informed of the uncompleted audit.” Which TfL executives authorised the abandonment of this audit?

The Mayor: All decisions whether to undertake or to discontinue an audit were taken by Transport for London Internal Audit.

IA 16767 - Trams Management of Operational Risk Audit (4)

Keith Prince: Did Heidi Alexander (Deputy Mayor – Transport) know about the abandonment of this audit when she formally stated to the London Assembly on 11 September 2019 to the effect that “having looked at a lot of the documents myself, as you would expect, speaking to senior members of staff at TfL about exactly what has happened, I am confident that a further independent investigation into this is not required.”

The Mayor: No. The Deputy Mayor was briefed about the audit during preparation of the response to Mayor’s Question 2019/17340, but this does not alter my view.I refer you to my answers to Mayor’s Questions 2020/4093, 2020/4094, 2020/4095 and 2020/4096.

Forced Marriage (1)

Susan Hall: Please provide details of the number of forced marriage prosecutions versus convictions versus police recorded crime in London over the last four years.

The Mayor: To date (to 29th September 2020) there has not been a Forced Marriage prosecution or conviction by the MPS. Please see below for the total number of Forced Marriage flagged crime reports for the last four calendar years:
2017 172
2018 148
2019 151
2020 (to 29 Sept 2020) 128
The MPS states that it is important to understand that Forced Marriage flagged crime reports indicate the following:

MPS Directorate of Professional Standards (3)

Jennette Arnold: Please provide a breakdown of the non-white employees identified in Question ‘MPS Directorate of Professional Standards (5)’ by ethnicity.

The Mayor: The table below provides a breakdown of Professional Standards BAME officers and staff by Ethnicity
Police Officer
Police Staff
Grand
			Total
Black or Black British
8
8
16
Asian or Asian British
22
1
23
Mixed
11
3
14
Chinese or Other
5
2
7
Total
46
14
60

New police officers demographic breakdown (1)

Jennette Arnold: Please provide a full demographic breakdown of the 1369 officers recruited into the Met as part of the governments ‘Be a force for all’ recruitment drive.

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) data systems are not able to provide a breakdown of recruitment to specific marketing campaigns.
However, monthly recruitment profiles with a breakdown to Male; Female; Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME); and White are published in the Workforce data report. www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/workforce-data-report/.

Mental health beds

Susan Hall: Has Covid-19 had any impact on the number of mental health beds available to the MPS, if so, please can you outline the impact, including any figures/stats?

The Mayor: Policing demands linked to mental ill-health have remained largely consistent in 2020 with the demands experienced during 2019. However, neither the MPS nor MOPAC holds any data on bed space availability across the capital. Any such request on bed numbers would need to be directed towards our partners in Health.
A pan-London escalation process is already in place for the agencies in the health care system, including the police. The MPS has been mindful of the challenges the NHS has faced during the pandemic and has worked with individual Trusts to amend local practice and make alternative arrangements where necessary.

TFL’s 30 Year Contract with First Group TOL (4)

Keith Prince: When TfL acquired Tramtrack Croydon Limited in 2008, the same Operating Agreement that governs the PFI Concessionaires’ 30 Year Contract with First Group TOL was retained by TfL, leaving TfL in a very weak position in terms of enforcing contract terms relating to safety, as we now know. Was any analysis of alternative options undertaken at the time which would have addressed this risk? Who was responsible for the decision not to demand alterations to that contract?

The Mayor: I understand that the provisions in the contract are not unusual for this type of historical PFI contract. Transport for London (TfL) has the power to terminate the contract for Operator material and serious default and also for persistent breach. I have no reason to question the advice that to terminate for “material and serious default” would require clear evidence of failure to meet obligations.
To attempt a review now of all of the doubtless complex issues which were under consideration in the commercial contract negotiations in 2008 would be speculative and not productive. Far more important is to manage the contract in accordance with its terms and to work to ensure that the RAIB recommendations are implemented and that the tram network operates safely.

Government Grants

Shaun Bailey: How much did TfL receive each year from Government grants from 2008/09 to date?

The Mayor: The General grant Transport for London used to receive from the Department for Transport (DfT) was phased out from 2013/14, with the last amount being received in 2017/18.
The Investment grant which came directly from the DfT was replaced by an additional share of retained business rates from 1 April 2017.
The attached spreadsheet data shows the main operating and investment grants received from the DfT. In addition to these we have received specific grants to fund certain priority projects (eg Crossrail).

Forensic Science Service

Peter Whittle: What has been the long-term impact on the efficiency of the Metropolitan Police of the Government’s December 2010 privatisation of the Forensic Science Service?

The Mayor: When the Forensic Science Service closed in 2012, 100 of the London based scientists and staff transferred into the MPS to enable much of the work to be delivered within the MPS Forensic Services unit. Remaining work went to other commercial forensic service providers.
The forensic landscape since that time has changed dramatically, as has the profile of work into the Criminal Justice system due to an increased focus on tackling drug and gang violence in London. Given also the significant period of austerity resulting in reduced police budgets, it is not possible to directly state what the impact of the closure was within such a complex environment.
MPS Forensic Services has grown and developed to become one of the largest providers of forensic services to the justice system in Europe, working in hand with private providers and educational institutes for research and development.

2014 Report from CIRAS about Fatigue from TOL Croydon Tram Drivers

Keith Prince: Your response to Question 2020/3651 is incomplete. For the avoidance of doubt, was anyone at TfL aware of the March 2014 CIRAS Report about Fatigue from TOL Croydon Tram Drivers between the dates of 4 March 2014 (when CIRAS received the report) and 2 July 2014 (when IA 13744 was published)?

The Mayor: Please accept my apologies. The previous answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/3651 was uploaded incorrectly and was updated with the full answer on 10 November 2020, which is detailed below.
Transport for London Internal Audit became aware of the AbsTracked audit during the 13 744 audit, not during an investigation. The Audit team were not informed of the Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis Service (CIRAS) report at any stage of this audit.

Transport for London

Shaun Bailey: What does TfL’s debt currently stand at?

The Mayor: The total nominal value of borrowing outstanding as at 10 November 2020 is £12,574m.

Freedom of Speech (2)

Peter Whittle: Who decided to investigate journalist Darren Grimes and who took the decision to cancel the interview with him, which was originally scheduled for 15 October 2020 and why?

The Mayor: The handling of this, or any, investigation is an operational matter for the police.

Metropolitan Police Service War Crimes Team (2)

Siân Berry: Could you tell me: a) the number of arrests carried out by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) war crimes team and, b) the prosecution outcomes of these arrests?

The Mayor: Year
WC/CT
Details
Prosecution Outcome
2013
War Crimes
1 male arrested on 2 counts Torture. Charged, found not guilty on count 1, hung jury on count 2. Subsequent not guilty on count 2 after CPS decided to offer no evidence
Not guilty
2014
Other
1 arrest – suspicion of murder – NFA
NFA
2015
CT
1 arrested CT offences - insufficient evidence to prosecute
NFA
2017
War Crimes
1 arrested and charged with torture, case dismissed following supreme court ruling.
Case dismissed
1 arrested attempting to Pervert the course of justice (war crimes related) – case closed due to insufficient evidence to take to CPS
NFA
CT
1 arrested for S1 malicious communication – CPS advice: insufficient evidence to prosecute. (CT related).
NFA
2018
CT
2 arrested for S1 malicious communication, subjects were NFA’d for offences, given first instance harassment warnings regarding behaviour. -CT
2 x NFA
1 arrested re Schedule 7 Tact, obstruction & refusal to comply – found guilty.
Guilty
2019
CT
1 male arrested and charged with s.1 TACT - Encouraging Terrorism.
Awaits trial.
3 arrested on charges of possession and distribution of terrorist material contrary to s.58 TACT 2000 and s.2 TACT 2006 and funding terrorism contrary to s.17 TACT 2000.
2 x Guilty, 1 x Not Guilty
1 arrested S2 fraud by false representation . – CT related
Guilty
2020
CT
1 arrested wilfully failing to comply with a duty imposed under schedule 7 of TACT, 2000
Guilty
1 arrested Section 17 funding TACT
Currently released under investigation
War Crimes
4 interviewed under caution re suspected Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity during Rwandan genocide.
All remain under investigation
1 arrested re war crimes in Liberia.
Currently released under investigation
1 arrested re war crimes in Liberia.
Currently released under investigation

Basic Command Unit subsidies from councils

Siân Berry: How many Metropolitan Police Service Basic Command Units (BCUs) have received funds from local councils, and could you provide data on this funding for each BCU since the reorganisation of the borough commands?

The Mayor: 11 BCUs have received grants from local authorities for the purchase of additional police officers.
The table below shows the approximate grant value received since the launch of each BCU to September 2020.
BCU
(including boroughs with grants)
BCU launch date
Approximate grant value since launch (£)
East Area (EA)
01/09/2017
1,841,583
South East (SE)
28/11/2018
708,333
North West (NW)
14/11/2018
515,000
Central North (CN)
01/09/2017
2,557,833
South Area (SN)
06/02/2019
513,333
West Area (WA)
01/05/2018
3,301,083
North Area (NA)
09/01/2019
1,375,500
Central East (CE)
03/10/2018
2,617,916
West (AW)
20/02/2019
2,122,083
South (AS)
23/01/2019
1,537,417
North East (NE)
17/10/2018
2,730,872

The Coronavirus Regulations (1)

Peter Whittle: I note the report in the Evening Standard of 21 October 2020 which states: ‘Scotland Yard is being urged to withdraw “misleading and unlawful” advice that pubs ask customers for photo ID to stop households mixing. TheMetropolitan Policesent a letter telling licence holders that they should take steps to ensure groups in their premises were only from one household or part of a support bubble. This could include asking for photographic identification with names and addresses, it added. The letter, dated October 16, came the day before newTier 2coronavirusrestrictions banning households from mixing indoors came into force in London.’1 I would be grateful if you could explain who at Scotland Yard issued these instructions and the thinking behind them.

1https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/police-photo-id-household-mixing-tier-2-a4572397.html

The Mayor: As part of our ongoing support of licensed premises within London, officers from the MPS’s licensing teams have been in regular communication during the Covid pandemic. The main purpose of this communication has been to keep licensees informed of updates around Covid legislation, including measures that came with the move to ‘Tier 2’ status in London.
I have been informed that this piece of advice has been withdrawn. It was well intentioned but did not reflect MPS or NPCC policy.

Translation services

Susan Hall: For each of the following financial years, Apr 2015 to Mar 2016, Apr 2016 to Mar 2017, Apr 2017 to Mar 2018, Apr 2018 to Mar 2019, and Apr 2019 to Mar 2020, how much has been spent on translation services across the GLA?

The Mayor: GLA
Financial Year
Spend
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
£15,900
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
£7,000
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
£3,800
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
£4,600
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
£15,500
Financial Year
Spend
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
£3,158
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
£8,749
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
£5,044
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
£6,874
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
£16,380
The LLDC does not use translation services.
Financial Year
Spend
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
6,880,847.20
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
6,459,256.08
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
5,726,782.09
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
5,038,222.00
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
6,077,893.21
N.B.: We have assumed the request was for all costs for language provision and therefore have included the costs for Interpreters (spoken word) and Translation (written word) and Telephone Interpreting (which includes 999 calls to CCC Met Call from Jan 2017).
OPDC has not incurred any expenditure on translation services since April 2015.
Financial Year
TFL
Apr 2015 to Mar 2016
£39,971.20
Apr 2016 to Mar 2017
£69,786.87
Apr 2017 to Mar 2018
£51,490.59
Apr 2018 to Mar 2019
£35,606.84
Apr 2019 to Mar 2020
£56,756.95

The Coronavirus Regulations (3)

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor if the demonstration held outside the French Embassy in Knightsbridge on Friday 30 October was compliant with the terms of its risk assessment, government guidelines and whether the demonstrators maintained social distancing. If this was not the case, could you please explain what fines were handed out to the organisers by the Metropolitan Police.

The Mayor: On 30th October a protest was due to take place outside the French Embassy, although some protestors also arrived at the French Consulate due to miscommunication of the location by the event organiser. The MPS engaged with Westminster City Council (WCC) to determine whether the group were complying with the Health Protection Regulations. WCC explained that the group had submitted a risk assessment, but that the assessment did not meet the requirements laid out and as such were not compliant with the law: this was at 13:15.
The MPS began enforcement action immediately thereafter: the organiser was reported for a fine of £10,000 and 13 other attendees were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices. There were three arrests: two for breaches of Covid legislation and one for possession of a pyrotechnic.

Traffic Management Officers

Susan Hall: For each of the last 5 years how many dedicated Traffic Management Officers are there in the Met?

The Mayor: The table below shows the number of Traffic Management Officers (TMO) over the last 5 years:
Year
Inspector
Sergeant
Constable
2015
1
1
8
2016
1
1
8
2017
1
1
8
2018
1
0
6
2019
1
0
4
2020
1
0.5
6

TfL Deficit

Shaun Bailey: What has been the actual deficit for TfL in each year since 2014? Including and excluding the figure regarding the Government grant.

The Mayor: The accompanying spreadsheet shows Transport for London’s net cost of operations from 2013/14 to 2019/20 – including and excluding the Government grant.

Fireworks offences

Unmesh Desai: How many offences involving fireworks have been recorded, by month, in each of the past 4 years?

The Mayor: Please see the attached information for the period specified. This includes a ‘notes’ section to enable an accurate interpretation of the information provided.

Freedom of Speech (4)

Peter Whittle: In notifying journalist Darren Grimes that the Metropolitan Police have cancelled the interview scheduled for 15 October 2020, he was informed that a ‘senior officer’ had been appointed to conduct a review into the investigation to ensure it ‘remains proportionate’. What was the outcome of this review?

The Mayor: The handling of this, or any, investigation is an operational matter for the police.

Freedom of Speech (3)

Peter Whittle: In notifying journalist Darren Grimes that the Metropolitan Police had cancelled the interview scheduled for 15 October 2020, he was informed that a ‘senior officer’ had been appointed to conduct a review into the investigation to ensure it ‘remains proportionate’. Would it not be more to the point if they reviewed whether it was appropriate to use the Section 22 of thePublic Order Act1986to regulate debate and free speech?

The Mayor: The handling of this, or any, investigation is an operational matter for the police.

Police recruitment age

Susan Hall: What are your views on lowering the age at which young people can be recruited to the police to 17, will the Met be taking advantage of this?

The Mayor: The change to the regulations allows 17-year olds to begin the application process. They will still need to be over 18 years of age to become fully attested police officers.
The police officer application process is necessarily long and rigorous. Assessments must be passed and security vetting completed, with only the most suitable and able candidates progressing.
Not being able to start this process until the age of 18 means that young people who have completed their education can spend many months waiting to start their career in policing. The change to the regulations addresses this anomaly.
It also allows police services to recruit from the widest range of applicants and compete with other organisations for the greatest talent.
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) will comply with new regulations and allow applications from the age of 17.

Action Against Developers Who Continue to Leave Buildings with Unsafe Cladding or Serious Fire Safety Issues

Caroline Pidgeon: Some developers have been given significant sums of money by the GLA to continue building properties in London, despite leaving thousands of their own leaseholders and residents in dangerous buildings, with leaseholders and shared owners facing bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds in some cases. Whilst understanding the need to build new, affordable homes, what action will you take against developers you are funding who continue to avoid any responsibility for buildings that have been cladded with dangerous cladding or have other serious fire safety defects?

The Mayor: Unfortunately, I do not have the powers to take this kind of action. Enforcement powers against building owners who have failed to remediate their buildings sit with local authorities. In September 2019 I wrote to the Secretary of State to suggest that poor behaviour such as this could be considered a material planning consideration, at least as a short-term measure whilst so many buildings in our city remain unsafe.
In September I wrote to more than 40 building owners who have failed to begin the remediation of unsafe ACM cladding demanding that they accelerate their plans to remove cladding and supply my officers with a timetable for action. Since then 13 of these buildings have begun remediation work.
Although only the Government can make the required updates to the national Building Regulations, my draft London Plan requires all development proposals across London to achieve the highest standards of fire safety. I’ve also introduced building safety requirements – which go further than the national Building Regulations – for new developments on public land which are commissioned via the London Development Panel 2.
I am also lobbying the Government to expand the size and scope of the Building Safety Fund as it is currently inadequate, and will only cover the remediation cost of a fraction of the number of buildings with unsafe cladding.

City Operations subscription to Welund data platform - Assistant Director Decision 2440 (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you satisfied that there was sufficient scrutiny and debate about the decision to award a contract to Welund data platform? Please set out the reasons why this contract is considered necessary? Please also provide assurances that excessive, expensive and often unjustified monitoring of environmental campaigners over the last 20 years by the police is not being replicated.

The Mayor: When considering the procurement of information to allow the City Operations Unit to assess possible disruption to London that may be caused by protests and demonstrations, all possible providers were examined thoroughly. Legal advice was also sought as to any implications under the Equality Act and GDPR.
The City Operations Unit remains entirely agnostic as to the motivations those organising protests or demonstrations, and only seeks to understand the possible impact of such activities on the everyday lives of London and Londoners, visitors and businesses; in particular where there may be an effect on social and community cohesion.
Welund have not been engaged to report on any specific group, theme or cause, but rather to assist in providing information on planned and unplanned protests, regardless of the reason for them being arranged.

City Operations subscription to Welund data platform - Assistant Director Decision 2440 (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: Are you satisfied that the procurement process for the subscription to the Welund platform was undertaken without a competitive tending process?

The Mayor: The subscription to Welund was undertaken without competitive tender as per Section 10 of the GLA Contracts and Funding Code, specifically due to an absence of a credible market competitor.

Spit gaurds

Susan Hall: What is the current progress on rolling out spit guards to police officers?

The Mayor: As of 16 November 2020, 34,665 MPS Officers / Staff have completed their personal safety training which includes the use of spit and bite guards.
Spit and bite guards are issued as appropriate and their use is recorded in accordance with the use of force regulations.

Business Rates for TfL

Shaun Bailey: How much did TfL receive each year from business rates from 2008/09 to date?

The Mayor: The GLA first was able to raise Business Rates Retention (BRR) and pass it on to Transport for London (TfL) from 2013/14. It was then decided that TfL’s Investment grant which came directly from the Department for Transport would be replaced by an additional share of BRR from 1 April 2017. Prior to this TfL received a Business Rate Supplement levied to fund capital expenditure relating to Crossrail. A full breakdown of amounts received is in the accompanying spreadsheet.
2015/16 – 2019/20 amounts previously supplied under Mayor’s Question 2020/1766.

FGM

Susan Hall: I refer to your response to my FGM (2) question at September’s MQT (Q. no: 2020/2764).

You advised that as part of their training, all new police recruits receive guidance on FGM that aims to enable them to recognise the offences and to provide an appropriate initial Police response.

Is it possible to measure the effectiveness of the training? If so, could you please advise as to how effective the training has been?

The Mayor: The positive impact of training is likely to be seen across multiple areas. The MPS is aiming to improve its overall response to FGM, including raising awareness and improving practice. The MPS’s priority is to increase the number of Harmful Practices related referrals and work alongside partners to improve outcomes. This includes a focus on increased intelligence regarding those causing threat and harm; an increase in protection orders sought and, where appropriate, an increase in prosecutions and convictions.

DV Post Reports

Susan Hall: For each of the years November 2017 to October 2018, November 2018 to October 2019 and November 2019 to October 2020, please provide the number of domestic violence reports and the number where further violence has occurred post report?

The Mayor: The number of recorded domestic abuse offences for the period requested in available publicly via the following link: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/hate-crime-dashboard/
However, the MPS informs me that to be able to provide information related to further reports following these offences would require too much additional analysis - and potential matching - of the over 400,000 offences that have been recorded during the period specified.

Sergeant Matiu Ratana

David Kurten: The killing of Sgt Ratana at Croydon Custody Suite in September caused public horror and revulsion. I understand that the suspect has been deemed mentally and physically unfit to stand trial, and that he is unlikely ever to be recorded as the murderer of Sgt Ratana. Furthermore, he has not been named as the suspect by the Metropolitan Police. I would be grateful if you would provide rationale for these decisions. Would you agree that this failure to name and prosecute detracts from public confidence in criminal justice?

The Mayor: The MPS has stated that a 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The tragic killing of Sergeant Ratana remains an ongoing and live investigation. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time.
Tragic incidents like this are terrible reminders of the dangers our police officers face every single day they go into work to keep Londoners safe.

Extremism 1

Susan Hall: In a recent Home Affairs Select Committee, it was mentioned that left wing extremism is on the rise:

• What is the Met doing about this?

• Please can you provide the number of ‘left wing’ extremists detected in Oct 18 to Sep 19, and Oct 20 to Sep 20?

The Mayor: The terms ‘Left-Wing extremism’ and ‘extremism’ are not legally defined. In Counter-Terrorism Policing, Left-Wing extremism is encompassed within the category of Left, Anarchist, Single Issue Terrorism (LASIT).
The Government publishes statistics on the individuals referred to and supported by the Government’s counter-radicalisation strategy, Prevent. The category “Other” includes, but is not limited to, LASIT themed cases.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-and-supported-through-the-prevent-programme-april-2018-to-march-2019

Body worn video footage release (1)

Unmesh Desai: What are the reasons for the Met, other than in exceptional circumstances, not routinely releasing body worn video footage?

The Mayor: Body worn video taken by police officers is handled with care and discretion. The footage contains personal information and it should not be released lightly. In many cases to do so would be a breach of data privacy and of people’s rights. The images obtained are often of people in distress and trauma, it could be taken in private places and would be wholly unsuitable for release.
The Met ensures that all policies, including this one, are under regular review.

Counter Espionage

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor if he welcomes the news that the Home Secretary is planning to move responsibility for counter-espionage from the Metropolitan Police to the National Crime Agency1. I personally welcome this development, as I believe it will grant the Met the opportunity to re-focus on the day-to-day policing of our capital city, where its shortcomings would appear to be apparent to everybody, except for its leadership.

1https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13029971/priti-patel-britain-fbi-russian-chinese-spies/#comments

The Mayor: The Home Secretary is not planning to move the handling of counter-espionage.
Matters relating to counter terrorism, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) also leads on police investigations into hostile state activity in the UK.
CTP also works in close partnership with other agencies which can provide specialist skills to support their investigations, such as departments from across government, the security services, the National Crime Agency and the Ministry of Defence, as well as with experienced lawyers from the CPS.
Taken together, this multi-agency and multi-discipline approach helps to make the UK a potent adversary to any hostile state activity which is aimed here.

Work of the Violence Suppression Units (VSUs) (2)

Siân Berry: Thank you for your answer to my question 2020/1641. What diversionary steps are taken after Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers have approached these 1,000 people? Could you provide details of any diversionary programmes, including any options that were offered to these people.

The Mayor: The individuals were offered attendance on diversionary programmes that are delivered by their local borough or available from the Violence Reduction Diversion Directory.
The type of programmes focussed on employment, training and education in areas such as music, sport and personal training. This includes programmes delivered by the Prince’s Trust, Local Gangs Diversion programmes, counselling services and provision delivered by the Young Women’s hub.

Homicides

Susan Hall: For each of the years November 2017 to October 2018, November 2018 to October 2019 and November 2019 to October 2020, please provide the number of each type of the following homicides:

Knife (Exclude domestic abuse and terrorism)
Gun (Exclude domestic abuse and terrorism)
Other offensive weapon (Exclude domestic abuse and terrorism)
Domestic Abuse
Terrorism

The Mayor: The MPS publish homicide information via an online dashboard that can be found via the link below:
https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/homicide-dashboard/
This dashboard contains the most robust available data on both victims and those accused of homicide offences within the MPS. This dashboard is updated on a quarterly basis and allows the download of the data behind the visualisations.

Business Rates Holiday Extension

Leonie Cooper: You have recently written jointly with London Councils calling on the Government to extend the business rates holiday for the retail, hospitality, leisure and childcare sectors. I welcome your call and agree wholeheartedly with it. However, given the reliance of local authorities and London’s public sector (not least the Metropolitan Police Service) have on business rates income, would you agree that any extension must be accompanied by the Government stepping in and fully covering the temporary losses local authorities accrue?

The Mayor: It is essential that the Government extends its business rates relief scheme for the retail, leisure, childcare and hospitality sectors into 2021-22 to give those firms some breathing space given the significant reduction in revenues those sectors have faced since March. I would not want to see businesses which are viable long term being forced out of business due to needing to start paying business rates again before they are able. Together with business groups I have written to the Prime Minister calling for an extension to this relief and this call was reiterated in the joint London Councils and GLA response to the Government’s business rates review.
However this would cost over £10 billion across England and over £3 billion in London – of which the GLA’s nominal contribution would be around £1.2 billion - so is not a cost which can be borne locally. Only the Government has the resources to fund this scale of support.
The GLA would however bear the costs of the parallel resulting reduction in income from the Crossrail business rate supplement (BRS) which is estimated at nearly £90 million this year. The Government’s relief schemes also apply to the BRS on the same basis as required by legislation.

Bianca Williams

Peter Whittle: On 8 October 2020, the Press Association reported: ‘Five police officers are being investigated for misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over stopping Team GB athlete Bianca Williams in a car in Maida Vale, London, in July.’ Could you please explain why these five officers have been referred to the IOPC?

The Mayor: Athletes Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos were stopped and searched by MPS officers in Maida Vale on 4 July 2020. Ms Williams made a complaint about the incident on Twitter and the MPS subsequently made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
As this is an independent investigation conducted by the IOPC it would be inappropriate to make any comment until the investigation has concluded.

Victim right of review

Susan Hall: For each of the years November 2017 to October 2018, November 2018 to October 2019 and November 2019 to October 2020, how many victim right of reviews have been initiated for the following:

• In total

• Rape

• Other Sexual Offences

• Homicide

The Mayor: The MPS regrets that we are unable to accurately provide historic data prior to June 2020. Prior to that point the data was not stored in a searchable format. Data below represents June to October 2020:
Total VRR - 96
Rape Offences - 29
Sexual Offences - 8
Homicide - 1

A City For All Londoners Review

Shaun Bailey: How and when will you be reviewing your A City for all Londoners Strategy in light of changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic?

The Mayor: At City Hall weareplacingengagement, involvement and inclusion at the heart of London’s social and economic recovery. Therefore, it is crucial thatall Londoners can influence, shape and participate fully in our capital's recovery from COVID-19. This approach will be far more agile and responsive to dealing with COVID-19 than reviewing A City for all Londoners Strategy given the immediate needs of Londoners.

TfL Debt

Shaun Bailey: What was TfL's monthly debt figure in each month since January 2019?

The Mayor: The attached spreadsheet shows the amount of nominal borrowing outstanding at each of Transport for London’s period ends since January 2019.

Special Demonstration Squad

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor whether the Metropolitan Police Special Demonstration Squad (undercover police officers) still exists?1

1https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/man-fell-love-lived-five-years-undercover-police-officer-family/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr

The Mayor: The Special Demonstration Squad no longer exists. The unit was disbanded in 2008.

Retention and Dropout Rates in the Met

Caroline Pidgeon: Please provide the dropout rates in the Met for each year since 2010, broken down by i) rank of officers ii) gender and iii) race.

The Mayor: The attached table shows the rate of attrition for each rank over the last 10 years. A second table provides a breakdown of overall attrition by ethnicity and gender.

Seized Vehicles

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor how many road vehicles have been seized by the Metropolitan Police over the last five calendar years. Please categorise the reason for seizure, i.e. no insurance, failure to stop for officers, being involved in a road traffic collision, or believed to have been used in a criminal offence.

The Mayor: Please see attached the requested data for the period specified.

Freedom of Speech (5)

Peter Whittle: On 7 October 2020, conservative think tank the Bow Group received an email from the Metropolitan Police, informing its vice-president, the historian Dr David Starkey, that he was being investigated under the Public Order Act for stirring up racial hatred, due to words he used in an online interview in June 2020.Is Dr Starkey currently under any form of investigation by the Metropolitan Police and if so, for what?

The Mayor: The handling of this, or any, investigation is an operational matter for the police.

Freedom of Speech (6)

Peter Whittle: The comedian Sophie Duker appeared onFrankie Boyle’s BBC2 panel show New World Order which was broadcast on 10 September 2020. She addressed the issue of systemic racism, stating: ‘White power is Trump Tower but when we say we want to kill whitey, we don't really mean we want to kill whitey.’ The comedian then quipped ‘we do’. Given that equality of treatment is one of the guiding principles which underpins our legal system and Darren Grimes has apparently been singled out for the same issue, when are the Metropolitan Police going to be interviewing Sophie Duker?

The Mayor: The handling of this, or any, investigation is an operational matter for the police.

Police Recruitment (1)

Peter Whittle: To ask the Mayor how many individuals have been directly recruited to the Metropolitan Police at the rank of superintendent over the last eight years, without working their way through the ranks, which had hitherto been the long-established custom and practice in the Met?

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has recruited a total of 13 entrants through the direct entry superintendent pathway.
The MPS will continue to strive to bring in the very best talent to work at all levels of policing and lead the service of the future. The re-introduction of the London residency criteria for most entry routes, will mean increasingly that talent will come from London.

Police Recruitment (2)

Peter Whittle: How much reputational damage do you believe the Metropolitan Police has sustained over the last five years, as a consequence of implementing its fast-track recruitment programmes?

The Mayor: The identification and nurturing of talent is an accepted, indeed key, aspect of personnel management and it is right that the MPS explores the development of such programmes.
The College of Policing (CoP), responsible for providing those working in policing with the skills and necessary knowledge and setting the standard for ‘what works’, is also very supportive of fast-track schemes.

Met Police Professional Standards Unit

Jennette Arnold: Please could you provide a full demographic breakdown of the Met’s Professional Standards Unit by ethnicity. Please also advise of the pay grade or rank of members of staff or officers within the unit, broken down by ethnicity. Please also advise how many staff within the unit have a disability. This information is not available via the Met’s latest workforce data report.

The Mayor: The table below provides a breakdown of the Professional Standards directorate for both officers and staff. A more detailed breakdown of ethnicity is provided in the response to MQ 2970.
Employee Type
Rank/Band
BAME
Non BAME
Unknown
Grand Total
Police Officer
Inspector & above
6
30
0
36
Sergeant
6
66
0
72
Constable
34
156
2
192
Police Officer Total
46
252
2
300
Staff
Band D & above
7
30
1
38
Band E & below
7
28
1
36
Staff Total
14
58
2
74
Grand Total
60
309
4
374
The table below shows those who have self-declared a disability.
Yes
No
Prefer not to say
Unknown
Grand
			Total
Officers & Staff
8
169
6
191
374

East Asian hate crimes

Unmesh Desai: Please provide the number of hate crimes recorded where the victim’s ethnic appearance is recorded as Chinese or Oriental, between June – September for each of the last 3 years.

The Mayor: Please see attached the requested information for the period specified. This covers racist and religious hate crime only due to the small number of offences for other hate crime strands. The notes section of the attached information will assist accurate interpretation of the data.

Homicides (2)

David Kurten: What information (if any) is recorded on cannabis or other illicit drug use by homicide suspects?

The Mayor: The MPS informs me that it doesn’t hold publishable information on the use of drugs by homicide suspects.

Homicides (3)

David Kurten: In cases that were heard in court, in the Metropolitan Police District in the period 2019-20, how many of those charged were deemed to have diminished responsibility?

The Mayor: The MPS does not hold this data. I would advise the Assembly Member to contact probation services about this matter.

Body worn video footage release (2)

Unmesh Desai: Will the Met review its decision not to routinely release body worn video footage, and if so when will this review take place?

The Mayor: Please refer to answer to Mayoral Question 2020/3932.

Homicides (1)

David Kurten: How many homicides that occurred in the Metropolitan Police District were attributable to mental illness in the period 2019-20?

The Mayor: The MPS informs me that until the cases have been concluded at court, it would not be possible to provide this figure.
Due to time restrictions, it is not feasible to review all of the 148 recorded reports of homicide to ascertain how many have completed the court process and returned a finding attributable to mental health.

Body worn video live streaming

Unmesh Desai: Should the Met enable the live stream function on its new body-worn video cameras?

The Mayor: This is not currently MPS policy.

Coronavirus and Mental Health (1)

David Kurten: I am concerned about the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown (and related rules) on the safety of mental health care. NHS services are not running at full capacity and face-to-face contact with patients has reduced. How many incidents of homicide and other violent crime involving psychiatric patients have been recorded since the lockdown began in March 2020 by the Metropolitan Police?

The Mayor: Since 1st March 2020 there have been 93 reports of homicide.
It is not possible say how many of those had been committed by those under psychiatric care or in need of psychiatric care as assessments and reports, take a considerable amount of time to be arranged and written.

Dash cam footage

Susan Hall: For each of the years November 2018 to October 2019 and November 2019 to October 2020, how many pieces of dash cam footage has been submitted to the Met?

The Mayor: The information that has been requested is not captured by the MPS in a way that would allow the extraction of data. To answer this question would therefore require the analysis of each individual crime report recorded by the MPS during the period specified.

Rise in Homophobic Hate Crimes

Caroline Pidgeon: According to research undertaken by the BBC there has been a 51% rise in reports of homophobic hate crime and crimes based on sexual orientation to the Met over the last five years. What more will you be doing with the Met, MOPAC and others to tackle the rise in such incidents in our city?

The Mayor: MOPAC ensures access to specialist support for anyone affected by homophobic hate crime through its hate crime victims’ advocacy service, and we also provide additional funding for Galop, the LGBT+ anti-violence charity.
The MPS have appointed LGBT+ Advisers who provide specialist support to victims, and work closely with partners to ensure continual feedback and oversight on policing practice, and in designing training for staff around hate crime.

Investigation into LLDC by MOPAC

Caroline Pidgeon: Please provide more details of the current MOPAC investigation into LLDC regarding allegations of impropriety relating to certain construction sites?

The Mayor: The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) received a complaint in July 2020 and MOPAC's Directorate of Audit, Risk and Assurance is carrying out an independent investigation as their internal auditors. The complaint was received from Construction Workforce Operative and Trainee Assessment (CWOATA) covering a range of serious issues. I am unable to provide further details at this time as it remains an ongoing investigation.

Increase in Certain Types of Domestic Abuse

Caroline Pidgeon: A recent report by academics at the Centre for Economic Performance, in collaboration with the Met, found that while domestic abuse by ex-partners fell by 9.4%, abuse by current partners and family members increased significantly – by 8.5% and 16.4% respectively, since the beginning of lockdown in March. How are you targeting programmes and workstreams to tackle those specific types of domestic abuse where we are seeing a significant increase in cases?

The Mayor: The Met continues to prioritise tackling domestic abuse offences to protect the most vulnerable and at risk. There is a focus on arresting offenders within 24 hours and proactive targeting of repeat and wanted offenders. The London Victim and Witness Service provides a holistic service to anyone seeking support. MOPAC have commissioned five pan London specialist services that support victim/survivors of domestic abuse with protected characteristics.
The use of Domestic Violence Protection Notices (DVPN) and Orders (DVPO) which can be used to remove perpetrators from the home have increased. A virtual court process allows remote applications. For the period 9 March – 23 August 2020, 659 DVPN’s and 523 DVPO’s were issued, increases of 141% and 131% respectively in comparison to the same period in 2019.
Media initiatives encourage third party reporting of concerns and requests for information under the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

Audit Conclusion of IA 16767

Keith Prince: The draft version of the Internal Audit which TfL was undertaking at the time of the Sandilands Crash (IA 16767 ,“Trams Management of Operational Risk”) shows a conclusion of “Adequately Controlled”. On what date was this draft Audit written?

The Mayor: This document was created on 25 October 2016.

Westminster Stop and Searches

Murad Qureshi: Please provide the number of stop and searches undertaken, by the council ward, in Westminster, in each of the last four years.

The Mayor: MPS stop and search latitude and longitude location information is published on the police.co.uk website which can be found here: https://data.police.uk/data/
The latitude and longitude locations of Stop and Search incidents published on this site, are anonymised, and always represent the approximate location of a stop and search— not the exact place that it occurred.

Rescue and response during the pandemic

Unmesh Desai: How many interventions have been made with young people by the organisations funded through rescue and response since March 2020?

The Mayor: Rescue and Response is a City Hall funded pan-London service which has been running since 2018 to support children and young people exploited through county lines activity.
Since April 2020, 73 young Londoners have engaged in new interventions as part of the Rescue and Response service, receiving support to move away from involvement in county lines activity and access help with housing, education, training and employment by delivery partners Safer London, St Giles Trust and Abianda. There are currently 168 open cases of young people receiving support from the service. Some of these young people have been working with the project since before March 2020.

City and East officer numbers

Unmesh Desai: If possible, please provide the number of officers, or best estimate of the number of officers, in each of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Barking and Dagenham on the 31st March in 2019, 2020 and at present.

The Mayor: Following the amalgamation of boroughs into the Basic Command Unit (BCU) structure it is not possible to breakdown the deployment of officers to a borough level.
The design of the structure is such that officer resource is deployed and flexed across the entirety of the BCU. Individual boroughs do not have an allocation.
The exceptions are Dedicated Ward Officers (DWOs) who remain with their wards and are only abstracted in exceptional circumstances. Every ward in London has an allocation of at least 2 DWOs and 1 Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).
The number of officers in each BCU can be viewed in the monthly workforce reports published by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS): www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/workforce-data-report/

Extinction Rebellion

Susan Hall: Why has a £10,000 fine been issued to the organiser of an anti-lockdown protest and not Extinction Rebellion?

The Mayor: The Government legislation at the time of the protest meant that organisers of a gathering of more than 30 people could be committing a criminal offence and could face a fine of up to £10,000.
There were some exceptions under this act, such as a group being able to demonstrate that it is an established organised body. Under this act Extinction Rebellion was exempt as a registered political organisation. However, there was no such evidence of an established organisation for Unite for Freedom.

Stop and Search Community Monitoring Group reviews of body worn video (4)

Siân Berry: A report in the Guardian on 19 October 2020, titled ‘Leaked review of Met police body worn video footage reveals officer errors’, shows the continuing need for public scrutiny of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Why is it that the MPS internal memo mentioned in the report suggests it is reluctant to release the footage because it would exacerbate public criticism, and not, as you have previously stated, because it is legally restricted from doing so?

The Mayor: I will continue to scrutinise the Metropolitan Police (MPS) on its use of stop and search; this includes the measures it will be implementing to action the IOPC recommendations, which the MPS has accepted in full. The Met has provided the IOPC with a detailed response to the recommendations and how they will be implemented. A copy of the MPS response can be found here:
https://policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/investigation_reports/Stop%20and%20Search%20-%20Response%20to%20IOPC%20Learning%20Recommendations.pdf
My recently published Action Plan for transparency, accountability and trust in policing focuses on enhanced scrutiny structures to ensure the police are held to account, it will also deliver improved training for officers with direct involvement from community members. The plan, coupled with the IOPC recommendations, will work towards improving the relationships between the police and Black communities and address the concerns associated with the use of stop and search.

TfL’s 30 Year Contract with First Group TOL (3)

Keith Prince: In the “Trams Update Note”, dated 25 May 2017 and released in response to Question 2019/17340, it is stated that the TfL/TOL contract contains provision for termination in the event of “material and serious default” that would would require TfL to evidence:

• TOL have failed in obligations to “have proper safety systems and implement them”;
• “Systemic Failure, not just evidence of individual incidents although multiple incidents”
• TOL’s failure to remedy defaults over time

TfL’s General Counsel concludes that TfL would not be justified in exercising this clause. In your opinion, noting that you are also a lawyer, do you agree with you General Counsel’s view that the fatigue management problems documented at the Croydon Tram in 2014, 2016 and 2017 do not constitute a persistent and unremedied failure of sufficient magnitude to justify the termination of the contract on the basis of “material and serious default”?

The Mayor: I accepted the legal advice contained in the note.
The audits do not reveal “a persistent and unremedied failure”. The findings of audit IA 13 744 were that competence and fitness of TOL tram operators was Well Controlled. That TOL’s documented Safety Management System (SMS), including competence, fitness and fatigue of employees, was being effectively managed. That training and ongoing monitoring of tram operators’ competence and fitness was being managed. That routine and random drugs and alcohol testing of tram operators were being managed.That following the findings of an external audit, TOL’s procedure to ensure tram operators were not fatigued when changing work patterns had been updated and was being reviewed with the Trades Unions prior to issuing. That the removal from duty of tram operators with expired competencies or medicals was being managed. That audit arrangements were in place to assess the effectiveness of the Safety Management System.
The draft of the uncompleted audit report 16 767 while not finished reads “On the basis of the work completed, we have concluded that Trams Management of Operations Health and Safety Risk is Adequately Controlled”.
The 2017 audit (which was after the Sandilands tragedy) provided assurance of effective control with regard to TOL’s own standards and identified areas for potential improvement based on ORR guidance. Several of those findings aligned with work already underway following TOL’s own audit of their FRMS and TOL’s completion of the FRMS checklist in Appendix F of the ORR guidance.

MET’s mercenaries

Murad Qureshi: Is the Metropolitan Police war crimes team receiving co-operation from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for its investigation into British mercenaries in Sri Lanka, including access to files relating to mercenaries such as FCO 37/3978?

The Mayor: The MPS do not comment publicly on matters subject to ongoing investigation

Stop & Search – report of the Independent Office for Police Conduct

Joanne McCartney: The thematic report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the Metropolitan Police’s use of stop and search was very concerning. The Metropolitan Police state that they accept all the report’s recommendations. What concrete steps will the Metropolitan Police take to ensure these recommendations are acted upon immediately, and what accountability measures will be put in place so that Londoners, especially Black Londoners, can be confident stop and search will be improved?

The Mayor: I will continue to scrutinise the Metropolitan Police (MPS) on its use of stop and search; this includes the measures it will be implementing to action the IOPC recommendations, which the MPS has accepted in full. The Met has provided the IOPC with a detailed response to the recommendations and how they will be implemented. A copy of the MPS response can be found here:
https://policeconduct.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Documents/investigation...
My recently published Action Plan for transparency, accountability and trust in policing focuses on enhanced scrutiny structures to ensure the police are held to account, it will also deliver improved training for officers with direct involvement from community members. The plan, coupled with the IOPC recommendations, will work towards improving the relationships between the police and Black communities and address the concerns associated with the use of stop and search.